Agenda and minutes

Extraordinary Meeting, Development Control Committee - Wednesday, 8th November, 2023 10.30 am

Members of the public are welcome to attend our meetings to watch them in person at any of the venues across the County. Publicly accessible meetings held in County Hall will be webcast, which means they are available to be watched live or recorded on our website. Please see our webcasting notice here. The Committee may, in certain circumstances, resolve to hold part of the meeting in private. If this is the case, you will be required to leave the meeting.

Venue: Committee Room 'D' - The Henry Bolingbroke Room, County Hall, Preston. View directions

Contact: Samantha Gorton 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from County Councillor Dad.

 

Temporary replacement

 

County Councillor Salter replaced County Councillor Cullens.

2.

Disclosure of Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests

Members are asked to consider any Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the Agenda.

Minutes:

No pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests were disclosed.

 

3.

Update Sheet pdf icon PDF 56 KB

The Update Sheet will be considered as part of each related agenda report.

 

Minutes:

The update sheet was circulated prior to the meeting (copy attached).

 

4.

Burnley Borough: application number LCC/2023/0024 Demolition of existing building and construction and operation of an embedded waste fuel gasification and combined heat and power generation facility, utilising densified waste derived fuels at Hapton Valley Transfer Station, Hapton Valley Estate, Accrington Road, Burnley pdf icon PDF 196 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair referred to the site visit to Hapton Valley which had taken place on 3rd November and reminded Committee about the regulations on site visits, contained within the Protocol of Good Practice on Development Control Matters, which was part of the county council's Constitution. The Chair quoted the following:

 

'Site visits should be the exception not the rule. They should not be used as an excuse to delay the determination of a planning application. They are expensive and time-consuming and excessive use of the detracts from their true value.

 

Where Members of the Committee pass a resolution in favour of undertaking a site visit, it is expected that those Members so voting attend the visit.'

 

A report was presented on an application for the demolition of the existing building, and construction and operation of an embedded waste fuel gasification and combined heat and power generation facility, utilising densified waste derived fuels at Hapton Valley Transfer Station, Hapton Valley Estate, Accrington Road, Burnley.  

 

The report included the views of Burnley Borough Council and their Environmental Health Department, Hapton Parish Council, LCC Lead Local Flood Authority, the Environment Agency, LCC Highways Development Control, the Coal Authority, United Utilities and LCC Ecology Service. Forty representations objecting to the application had been received, which were detailed in the Committee report.

 

Committee's attention was drawn to the Update Sheet which provided a further representation from a neighbouring resident.

 

The Principal Planner presented a Powerpoint presentation showing the site location plan and nearest residential properties, aerial view of the application site, proposed site layout diagrams, 3D visual illustration, elevations, and photographs showing access to the A679, site entrance, existing building to be demolished and building B in front of the application site.

 

County Councillor Holgate raised concern that the construction of the development would create noise and stated that the fence should be installed, prior to the works taking place.

 

Committee were informed that a noise assessment had been carried out and that there would be a further noise scrutiny assessment as required through the Environmental Permit. There was no suggestion there would be a noise impact from this proposed development; the noise issue was in relation to the vehicle movements which already came to the site. The fencing application was as a result of the noise assessment carried out and this application would also be brought to Committee. The noise assessment looked at solutions in improving the noise environment which primarily came from the HGVs on the access road. Planning permission was already in place for the previous application relating to the buildings on the wider site that noise assessments had been carried out for. The developers were required to install a 3m high fence as a requirement of that previous planning permission and if the fence was not installed, then the county council had the powers to take enforcement action.

 

Committee were reminded of the distinction between the planning system and the permitting system. Committee were required to consider whether there was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Urgent Business

An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the Minutes, the Chairman of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.  Wherever possible, the Chief Executive should be given advance warning of any Member’s intention to raise a matter under this heading.

Minutes:

There were no items of Urgent Business.

 

6.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Development Control Committee will be held on Wednesday, 6 December 2023 at 10.30am in Committee Room B - the Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston.

Minutes:

Resolved: That the next meeting of the Committee be held on Wednesday 6th December 2023 at 10.30am in Committee Room B – The Diamond Jubilee Room, County Hall, Preston.